There are numerous devices and systems that are designed to store spare tires under the bodies and/or frames or chassis of vehicles such as trucks, vans, recreational vehicles, and the like. Such devices and systems are generally configured to: 1) move the tire between a stored position beneath a vehicle and an accessible position in which the tire may be removed from or replaced on a support structure; 2) raise and lower the tire between the stored position with sufficient ground clearance and the accessible position; and 3) hold the tire securely in place in the stored position.
Examples of spare tire holders that basically drop spare tires vertically between a stored position and an accessible position in a controlled manner are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,493 to Fowler, U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,093 to Hanela, U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,629 to Klein, U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,513 to Delmastro, U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,552 to Terwilliger, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,629 to Peters et al.
Examples of spare tire holders that both drop and horizontally pivot spare tires between a stored position and an accessible position are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,867 to Beavers, U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,518 to Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,384 to Daniels, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,642 to Montgomery, Jr.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,384 to Daniels discloses a tire storage apparatus that both lowers a spare tire to the ground at a controlled rate and swings the tire out from under the vehicle in one movement without the necessity for the user to go under the vehicle and without the necessity for the user to support the weight of the tire. The apparatus of Daniels is complicated and includes a cam roller provided on an end of a carriage arm which rides along a cam surface. In addition to the bearings of the cam roller, the apparatus of Daniels also includes pivotal connections between the carriage arm and a horizontal and vertical pivot point, all of which are subject to adverse environmental conditions that are associated with the underside of a vehicle.
The present invention provides a tire storage system that provides for simultaneous lowering (or raising) and pivoting movement of a spare tire with few interacting elements.